Sheriff: Baby left in hot van outside Florida doctor’s office

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A doctor and nurses went to the aid of a 2-month-old baby girl after a Florida mom left the infant in a hot minivan outside a pediatrician’s office for about an hour, authorities say.

The woman, who wasn’t identified, faces a felony charge of child neglect, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.

The mother told authorities she had taken her 9-year-old son to the doctor’s office Tuesday afternoon and left the baby in the van because the infant was sleeping and she didn’t want to disturb her, according to a sheriff’s report.

The report said the woman also told authorities she didn’t expect the doctor’s appointment to last long. But after waiting about an hour, the woman realized she hadn’t breastfed the baby, ran outside and brought the child into the office where a pediatrician and nurses were able to stabilize the girl with cool compresses, it added.

“The baby’s skin was red and hot,” the sheriff’s report said. It added that the girl had a temperature of 101.6 degrees before being cooled down.

The infant was subsequently taken Tuesday to a children’s hospital and is recovering.

The sheriff’s office said it was declining to release the woman’s name and added that the State Attorney’s Office would decide whether to pursue the case.